Mali vs Zambia

Mali and Zambia compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Mali has about 1.1 times as many people as Zambia: 25.2 million against 21.9 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Zambia ($1,318) is 10% higher than in Mali ($1,193) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Mali (5.6%) than in Zambia (3.8%), a difference of 1.8 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Zambia (13.9%) than in Mali (3.3%), a difference of 10.6 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Zambia (5.9%) than in Mali (2.8%), a difference of 3.1 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Zambia can expect to live 5.8 years longer than one born in Mali: 66.5 years against 60.7 years in 2024.
• The population of Zambia is older: half of its people are over 17.5 years, against 15.5 years in Mali in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Mali (36.8%) than in Zambia (17.1%), a difference of 19.7 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in Zambia (0.54 tonnes) are 80% higher than in Mali (0.3 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Zambia (60.5%) than in Mali (8.7%), a difference of 51.8 percentage points in 2024.